


Dependency

by LauVirago



Category: Dusttale - AU, Horrortale - AU, SwapFell - AU, Underfell- AU, Underswap - AU, Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: :/ Oh Well, Aliza Remembers Resets, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Before and After Horrortale, Canon-Typical Violence, Child Abuse, Did you know that was a tag?????, Domestic Fluff, Dust (Dusttale) Remembers Resets, Evil W. D. Gaster, Family Fluff, Famine - Freeform, Flowey (Undertale) Being an Asshole, Flowey Remembers Resets (Undertale), Frisk Remembers Resets, Horribly ruining it tho but he's trying ig, Horrortale bros need some serious non murdery love, I do not own Undertale or any of the Alternative Universe's mentioned in this fic, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Is it really trans if the reader was female then reincarnated as male????, Lotta tags...., Love to Lay feat. Sans, Maybe some time shenanigans, My rendition and story tho, Nice Flowey (Horrortale), No real schedule yet, Not cross-posted anywhere else, Papyrus (Horrortale) Kind Of Remembers Resets, Papyrus (Undertale) Knows More Than He Lets On, Papyrus (Undertale) Needs a Hug, Plot being Sans and Papyrus trying to find their happy place together, Pre-Accident W. D. Gaster, Puns come later, Reader Is Not Chara (Undertale), Reader Is Not Frisk (Undertale), Reader is Trans... Sorta, Reader-Insert, Red (Underfell) Remembers Resets, Sans (Horrortale) Remembers Resets, Sans (Undertale) Needs a Hug, Sans (Undertale) Remembers Resets, Sans Being a Little Shit (Undertale), Scientist W. D. Gaster, Sort of a slice of life, Sporadic Updates, Stretch (Underswap) Remembers Resets, Suicidal Thoughts, Suicide Attempt, Then have to try in another universe..., Unethical Experimentation, Vanilla Sans just has to touch the science huh, Violence, W. D. Gaster Being An Asshole, W.D. Gaster finds that being an evil scientist is not fun and proceeds to try and be a big brother, W.D. Gaster is redeemable tho so don't worry y'all, Whole cast and crew here, a lot happens, hunger, no beta we die like men, reader is sans
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-15
Updated: 2021-02-26
Packaged: 2021-03-02 18:53:52
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 6
Words: 11,350
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24191644
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LauVirago/pseuds/LauVirago
Summary: You died. Simple as that. You lived what you think was a pretty normal life (not that you really remember), but you did die. How did you know you died? Well, that's because your SOUL was reincarnated into the body of a baby skeleton, with strange memories that you don't remember experiencing, about something called the Surface, in a strange lab with a strange skeleton (monster? man?) named Wing Dings Gaster who tells you that you were created specifically to destroy.'Destroy what?' you may ask yourself.Well.... You aren’t going to like the answer.Hiatus for now
Relationships: No plans as of yet maybe in the future...
Comments: 17
Kudos: 117





	1. In Which, Like All Stories, You Died And So It Begins

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome to Dependency! No beta, all mistakes are home grown, organic and heart healthy!!

The first thing you woke up to was the sound of distorted yelling. Disoriented and confused you tried to piece together what felt _wrong_ about yourself. You felt too light, too _free,_ like you weren't attached to anything. That's not a good sign for a healthy....?

 _'W_ _ha t a m I?'_

.....Whatever you are, to be this light, right? You tried opening your eyes, the familiar action was quickly overshadowed by how _bright_ and _white_ everything was. It hurt to keep your eyes open and whatever was yelling had only gotten louder. Closing your eyes you tried to pinpoint where it was coming from and it took you far too long to realize that you were the one making said noise. At once, as if your body was waiting for you to realize it, you fell silent.

"Ah, finally some peace. It's been absolutely dreadful to have to listen to your constant wailing, One." A slightly disapproving voice rang through the silent room, with an air of someone scolding a pet for being too loud and startled you into rattling the cuffs pinning you down to the hospital-like table.

 _'Hospital?'_ You paused. _'What's a hospital?'_ Before you can answer your own question, _it's right on the tip of your tongue_ , the person speaking came into view. 

_'Skeleton.'_ Was the first reaction to come to you. The second was a _bone-chilling **fear**_ that almost overwhelmed you and yet it seemed strangely detached. Like it wasn't your _own_ fear, but someone else's.

"There you are One. Glad to see you are finally awake. It was truly a pain in the coccyx to have to wait to finish up. It wasn't even that bad to warrant such an extreme response." The Skeleton chided you as they bounced from one side of the room to the other holding a notepad in their left hand and a pen in their right with a hole through the bone hand. After finishing their task of tweaking the machines surrounding you, they then looked down at you, splayed out on the table, with a look that made your instincts _~~SOUL~~_ scream _'DANGER! GET AWAY!'_ You should've listened. The Skeleton let go of the notepad and pen. You were expecting them to simply drop to the floor but was dumbfounded when, against all reason and logic, they _floated_ in _magical purple hands_ identical to the Skeleton's own hands. The Skeleton chuckled as they watched your face morph into surprise and shock before turning around to mess with something just out of your range of sight.

"Don't look so surprised One, you'll be using your own magic soon enough for future experiments. For now though, I've gotten all that I need today from you." They turned around to look at you and seeing your lost expression decided to humor themself by explaining.

"Magic is very useful and the basis for all monsters SOULS and physical bodies." They began, as if teaching a lesson to a class of students rather than a small - kid? - chained down to a table.

"The very SOULS of monsters contain magic and can be tapped into with practice and skill creating magical attacks and even expressing feelings through the use of it." They began unchaining you as they continued their lecture.

"Most monsters' SOULS are made up of Hope, Compassion, and Love. Monsters have learned we can barely live without Compassion or Love, though the results are **not** pretty, but we absolutely cannot survive without Hope." Two more of the magical hands grabbed you and lifted you off the table and carried you after the Skeleton as they walked out of the room and down a series of hallways.

"Hope is an integral part of a monster's SOUL. Since monsters can't handle Determination like <REDACTED> can, Hope is the only thing strong enough to hold our SOULS together. Which is why to measure up to any random <REDACTED>'s SOUL you would need the SOULS of thousands of monsters to even come close." At this the Skeleton's face sank into a frown and he growled. You looked at them confused at why you couldn't quite understand what they were talking about and what <REDACTED> was.

 _'SOULS? Monsters? What's <REDACTED>? Why can't I understand it?'_ You scrunched your eyebrows together, trying to piece together what the word was and what SOULS and monsters were, but the Skeleton didn't pause and continued on their lecture not noticing or not caring about your confusion.

"Pathetic, is it not? Thousands of monsters needed to barely match ONE <REDACTED>'s SOUL! It isn't fair for us to be trapped and thrown away when it has been proven time and time again that <REDACTED> don't need Compassion, Love or even Hope to live, often discarding these in favor of whatever delusions they've fallen under. No, they only need Determination to survive, which has created some of the worst... _things_... to ever walk this Earth. I loathe to even call them <REDACTED>,"

The Skeleton carrying you pauses at a door no different from the doors that you had already passed in the maze of hallways instinctually typed in something on the wall, causing the door to slide open, and revealed a small room with only a cot tucked away in the far corner to decorate it. The Skeleton distractedly motioned you into the room, the hands holding you following the Skeleton's command to dump you on what you assume to be an ice cold floor, even though you can't feel the temperature of it.

The Skeleton then turned around to leave and you could barely catch the words that they muttered before the doors shut with a grim finality, "although they may be more ' **Human** ' compared to the rest of them...." and then you were thrown into pitch black.

The first thing you learned the next day is that your new name is 'One.'

The second, was that nothing could've prepared you for what the 'experiments' were..... _inhumane_ ** _torture_**.


	2. Your New And *Improved* Life Has Now Begun!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which you learn some hard truths, experience 'mild' experimentation, and have a breakdown afterwards.

The next day you woke up to bright lights. After hours of sitting in the dark until you finally fell asleep it hurt and caused tears to fall from your eyes. The Skeleton burst through the doors not too long after the lights came on and scoffed at you curled up and crying on the floor.

"Get up One! We have work to do and stop crying, it's just a bit of light." The Skeleton rolled his eye-lights? and then picked you up with the hands again. You ragdoll in the grip of the hands too busy trying to salvage your blurry vision to care where they were taking you. You soon learned to regret that decision as the hands strapped you to the table you woke up on yesterday and the Skeleton themself started turning on machines around you.

"Today's experiment will begin shortly, One. I expect no sound to exit your mouth or it will be far worse and more painful. I believe you got it all out when I took marrow samples yesterday and I'm not willing to wait until you've stopped screaming again." The Skeleton looks annoyed when mentioning your screaming yesterday, even though you don't remember them taking the 'marrow samples' at all. Or when you had started screaming...

You instinctually respond, "ok."

The Skeleton whirls around to look at you with such a laser focus that you quickly become unnerved.

"w-what?" You nervously ask.

Their eye-lights blow up to almost fill their eye sockets and a maniac grin quickly devours their face.

"You spoke in perfect Wing Dings, One!"

You looked at him confused and now more than a little scared. "y-yeah? is that b-bad?"

"Not at all! In fact, it's going to make this experiment session far more productive!"

The Skeleton began inputting something into a machine outside of your vision all while mumbling something about "...perfect, if only his HP was higher....high intelligence.... perfect for study...pain tolerance?....high magic output...." and so on.

You don't recognize half of what they are talking about and become scared when the mumbling became much darker.

Half spoken ramblings about "implantation of pain debilitatiors....LV controllers....SOUL implanting.....HP extenders attached to his SOUL...."

_'If the SOUL is so important to monsters (assuming the Skeleton was one?) then shouldn't they not mess with yours?'_

"uhh. aren't SOULS kinda important?" You ask the Skeleton who distractedly answers.

"Yes, they are the very culmination of your being. Your SOUL determines who you are and are very precious to both Humans and Monsters, even if Humans are unaware that they even exist."

You hummed and then asked, "then could we not-" You were cut off before you could even finish by a heavy hard smack to your face.

"I don't think you understand your position here, **One**." The Skeleton gave a sickly sweet smile while you reeled back and cried at the pain.

"You are an object. A toy. A tool. Your sole purpose is to be used, shaped and discarded at will nothing more nothing less. You have no feelings, no ideas, no dreams. Your very SOUL is not one of Hope, Compassion and Love, but it's also not that of any of the seven traits Humans are known to have."

The Skeleton leaned in real close to your face and said, " **You are a freak. Something that is not supposed to exist and, thanks to me, you are here. I own you, One, and will do whatever the hell I feel like doing to you. _You don't exist outside of your use to me._** " before straightening and continuing on like it never happened.

"Now, let's begin with an endurance test before continuing on to anything more... _damaging..._ shall we?"

******

Pain. SOUL shattering, mind numbing pain, and this is only what the Skeleton had called an 'endurance test.'

Machines whirred around you literally tearing you apart. One grabbed a hold of your right arm and pulled it from your body to scrape something away at the ball of the arm. You screamed and the Skeleton sighed in disgust and annoyance.

"I've warned you, One. It will only get worse from here on out, Now don't move a millimeter..." You genuinely wished you were dead.

******

You must have passed out in-between the Skeleton breaking your ribs for marrow or when the machine drilled into your _skull_ through your eye socket. A splitting pain radiates around your left eye socket and you couldn't see through that eye. A slight panic was beginning to set in. 

Newsflash, you are in fact a skeleton too. Somehow, that revelation doesn't freak you out even though you both feel like it should and shouldn't. Maybe you're going insane? Wouldn't be too bad to be honest. A skeleton just like the one who experiments on you, the one walking into the room where you are still chained down.

"Hmm, it seems that you have a pathetically low pain tolerance, I'm afraid. I'll have to work on building that up before I move on to more crucial projects. Don't want you fainting again and ruining more of my tests." The Skeleton walks over to you and snatches your skull causing you to almost black out at the sudden rush of pain. "You're lucky you only lost one eye. That machine was meant to push magic into you and you fainting caused my carefully planned calibrations to be off by a couple of centimeters, nearly blasting a hole in your skull." 

The Skeleton smiled, as if he hadn't just told you he ruined one of your _eyes_ and almost _killed you_. "Now you are sporting a nasty crack going from the middle of your skull down to your eye socket. A lesson well learned, no? **I told you not to move, One. You disobeyed and now you suffer the consequences.** If you had just been a good lab rat then I would have made sure that you didn't scar but," The skeleton smiled wryly and gave a half shrug, "oh well."

That was the first time you had experienced sheer and utter cruelty and a complete disregard for your safety. It felt like a little piece of yourself died at that revelation.

You don't remember the trip back to the room they put you in or when the Skeleton left and the lights turned off, the room only faintly illuminated by your glowing copper eye lights.

You don't remember how it started at all but suddenly you're wailing, crying and trembling, a harsh rattling sound of where bone knocks against bone fills the room, calling out for help, for someone to find you, _save_ you.

*** b ut n o bo d y ca m e...**

******

Gaster. The name of the Skeleton experimenting on you. You had only learned it because an unexpected voice call from someone named Alphys wanted "D-doctor Gaster to ap-pprove of her l-latest project!" Her stuttering made you angry. _'She has nothing to be nervous about.'_ He approved after hearing her out and offered his opinion and suggestions, then ended the call with a small chuckle.

"I would love for Alphys to be working on this project but, 'Stars bless her!', she wouldn't be able to handle this line of scientific research. She's a nervous wreck already!"

He had turned towards you lying prone on the table you've grown to fear and loathe. "I might have to break her of that to ensure she's being used to her full potential. Don't you agree, One?"

Gaster never cared if you answered or not. Even if you told him that you were a rock and he was nothing more than a figment of your imagination, he would merely write it down in your folder and carry on with his work on you _(you had tested that one out)_.

You learned the hard way to not push your thoughts onto him after a particularly gruesome session after you insisted that you were reincarnated from a Human and, when that got nowhere, he had no right to hold you here. He didn't take kindly to that one and you never insisted on anything ever again.


	3. And The Days Start Comin' And They Don't Stop Comin'

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The days start falling into a pattern and your life becomes even worse.

One day Gaster decided to try something new _(n_ _ever a good sign)_.

He wanted to find a way to control feelings. To prevent anymore monsters from Falling Down and Dusting due to hopelessness.

The first tests were actually normal, well as normal you can get for Gaster. A little bit of role-playing at first then physically putting you in certain scenarios and, when that apparently didn't get the result he wanted, he moved on.

Attaching a machine into your SOUL and forcing you to go through specific scenarios, looking for a specific response.

After many tests, with so many scenes playing through your head, unable to escape from your own mind, you began to lose your grip on reality a bit more every time he hooked you up.

You could hardly tell the difference between those situations and the real world, often drifting in and out of awareness. Disassociating and believing you were in the nicer situations you experienced _(those were the best days you'd ever had)_. 

~~**_You don't want to think about the bad ones._ ** ~~

Soon, Gaster managed to make the device portable, called it the ‘Hope Bracer’ and permanently attached it through the center of your SOUL. He made sure you were under some kind of anesthesia before doing so. A small mercy and one that did not go unappreciated on your part.

You’re not sure if it worked or not, and when he continued on with the tests he was conducting beforehand, you no longer paid any attention to the Hope Bracer when Gaster pulled your SOUL out for this or that to check up on it.

One day, as you are sitting alone in your room, you realize something.

When was the last time you felt afraid? Angry? _Sad?_ **_Anything?_ **

That night you didn’t sleep a wink.

Gaster had succeeded.

******

He was gone for a very long time after that. Many light cycles passed before you saw him again and, when you did, he was beaming and radiating _Pride, Joy_ and _Happiness_ straight from his very SOUL, while looking down at you, huddled into a ball, on your ratty cot, with your naked bones still covered in bandages _(the only source of 'clothes' covering you)_ from when he had left you. 

_He had long ago eliminated any need for food after finding you half dead within the first few weeks? starving without food. A ‘quick’ and ‘simple’ SOUL reconstruction and a replica of part of the CORE implanted in your SOUL had you perfectly set with enough energy daily to survive perfectly fine on your own._

~~**_Just so you weren’t more of a burden to him._ ** ~~

“One! Did you know that I became the sole savior of all Monsters trapped Underground?!” Gaster was practically glowing and seemed to be sucking in all of the nonexistent praise he thought you were giving him.

“All of those days toiling over my work! When I became overwhelmed with responsibility and sleepless nights, I’d monster up and tell myself, _‘Wing Dings Gaster! Don’t you dare give up! Think of how many monsters need this technology to live!’_ and I just couldn’t abandon all of those innocent monsters to _Dust_ while I had the genius to come up with something to rescue them! How callous would someone be, _how soulless_ , to leave a lesser monster to suffer?” He shook his head in disappointment _(funny comin’ fro-)_ . “Why I can’t imagine how that person could even _sleep_ at night, carrying all that **sin**.”

You were, well, you couldn’t say outraged or even mildly angry at him _(he took that away)_ , but something about his self aggrandizing statement, his _‘suffering’_ all for the sake of Monsterkind and someone _(not himself apparently)_ carrying all that sin, rubbed you the wrong way and you turned your skull away from him, your dim eye lights fizzing out.

You aren’t sure how much longer passes before Gaster is finished but by the time he is, you’d already fallen asleep.

“ONE!” You jolted and fell off the cot, hurting your hand when you tried to catch yourself. 

“y-yes sir?”

“Get up! We have to get to stepping, my boy! Time waits for no Monster and the more time you waste the longer we take to-” The hands were already lifting you from the floor and you were almost out the door before he was stopped by the device hanging off of his hip and his annoyance and anger quickly turned to glee.

“Yes, Your Majesty? No, sir, I'm not too busy. I was just about to begin a new experiment but that can easily wait until tomorrow morning.” 

A bit of silence, where the monster on the phone sounded like they were scolding Gaster and then he laughed, startling you.

 _‘I didn’t know Gaster **could** laugh… Have I even heard him laugh before?’ _

Gaster continued talking before you had a chance to finish thinking. 

“To me, you’ll always be Your Majesty but, if you must insist, I will refer to you as Asgore,” and when the voice _(Asgore)_ began speaking again Gaster promptly cut them off. “BUT! Only in a casual setting and to answer your question I would love nothing more than to visit and drink tea with you, my friend. Catch up on old times, hmm? Do you suppose that Grillby and Captain Gerson would be able to make our impromptu get together?”

Before you were able to hear Asgore answer Gaster’s question, the hands were already bringing you back and dumping you on the floor, not unlike your first day here, and the doors quickly shut with a cool _*WHISK*_ behind Gaster as he ran off to join Asgore for a ‘visit.’

******

Gaster taught you magic. Bones, BLUEing a SOUL and even his infamous ‘Gaster Blasters’ had all become a part of your personal arsenal.

Training took place, he taught you how to fight and fight **dirty**. Using everything you have at your disposal and waste nothing on extraneous movements.

Soon new jagged scars began overlapping the perfect and precise ones decorating every inch of your body. Dodging, fighting, losing, winning, it all became second nature. As easy as blinking.

Soon you even developed your own magic beyond what he taught you. You learned to wrap your magic around yourself and _into_ your own body. 

Changing yourself to be stronger, faster, to take less damage when hit or slammed onto the packed dirt of the training arena Gaster had set up. To make more or new limbs like a tail, or another pair of arms or legs to help fight.

Gaster had never ending questions and experiments after one particularly brutal beat down and as a final, all out, stake it all blow, you had pulled that out as your trump card.

You didn’t get any sleep while he experimented on you and forced you to test things out day in and day out and, when it started to negatively affect your training, Gaster ‘fixed’ that too with a quick tune up of the CORE implanted in your SOUL.

**You were never able to sleep again.**

You had had enough. You finally planned an escape on one of the days Gaster had allowed you to have your feelings back as a reward for being a _“Perfect test subject today, One.”_

First part of your plan was to pry the door open. You watched as Gaster had done some maintenance on it a while back when he crushed it in a fit of rage, and knew how to open it just right to not actually ruin the door itself and alert him.

A quick bone attack here and, with an alarmingly loud * _POP*_ , you were free.

Second, Gaster always exited the _opposite_ way from when he took you to the lab room. Therefore, an exit **must** be that way, right?

Your very SOUL was pounding behind your throat as you carefully tread down the darkened hallway, your bareboned feet clanking softly on the linoleum floors.

You had to brighten your eye lights just to be able to see where you were going, casting everything in an eerie copper sheen and at every glance around you swore you saw something move _just_ out of the corner of your eye socket but when you whipped your head around to try and catch it, 

***nothing happened.**

No more doors appeared past the first few you saw immediately across from yours as you traveled to the end of the hallway where a set of double doors and two buttons, one pointing up and another pointing down, sat snug in the wall.

 _“An Elevator.”_ Your not-memories helpfully supplied. 

“elevators go up and down right? so, if I just go up, then I’ll reach the first floor and be free to run from there.” You mumbled to yourself.

Emboldened in your knowledge, you didn’t see the figure stepping out of the door to your right until it was already far too late to run.

Gaster snatched your arm, his left eye blazing a violent purple, promising pain and regrets, and a look of sheer and utter rage that you had never seen from him before.

“ **On e. W h at d o yo u th in k y o u a re do i n g o ut h ere, Hm m m ?**


	4. Another One...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another experiment named Two?

To say Gaster was pissed was an understatement. _He was livid._

The scant freedoms you had had become null and void. Privacy in your own room gave way to cameras watching and recording your every move.

A chain ran from the corners of the room and attached to your arms and legs, magically melding with your own body to prevent you from moving within 3 feet of the doorway.

When Gaster was still paranoid that you’d somehow manage to escape, the doorway became a flat wall. 

A hidden door that blended into the wall so well that, if you hadn’t been there for so long, you wouldn’t even think that anything had been there before. 

~~_(sometimes when you had an episode, you thought you were trapped in a box that will never open again.)_ ~~

Gaster created some device not long after the door vanished and drilled it into your broken eye socket.

During one of your training sessions _(they became much more brutal after that)_ you were in the middle of defending against a complicated attack Gaster had sent your way when your magic just vanished. You had Dusted. _Died_. But, somehow, you woke up later in your room with a nasty headache and a voice in your head. 

When you commented on it _(after Gaster had cooled down_ ) he found it fascinating and began to try and speak with the voice now sharing your headspace.

“Determination is a very peculiar thing, no?”

The voice only craved to **kill and consume.** It would’ve scared you if you were able to feel anything anymore. Gaster had indefinitely revoked the ‘privilege’ to both your magic and emotions.

The only thing you felt was what the voice fed you, and, oftentimes, they were not... pleasant.

******

Your _(days? weeks? months? years?)_ continued on the same. 

Within time, screams of pain and pleads of unheard mercy were replaced with stoic smiles and gritted teeth, but soon even those faded out into easy grins and snappy, sarcastic remarks to Gaster. 

He became annoyed with your sarcasm as quickly as he had become annoyed with your screams and finally came up with a device to mute you. Just as he had done to your magic and your feelings. 

You now had nothing left that he didn’t own anymore. Your voice was the last thing he couldn’t control and now he had that too. 

It’s when it finally and truly set in. 

_He_ **_owned_ ** _you_ and could do whatever he wanted to you with no consequences whatsoever. 

You had no say, no one knew you even existed and that was **terrifying**. 

~~**_(It was exactly what he told you the day after you woke up here.)_ ** ~~

You had to learn to read him. Too many days spent mute, magicless, and emotionless made it crucial to judge whether you had to watch what you did, said, or looked at to prevent him from taking away **_everything_ **. 

It took far too long for your liking and sanity to be able to read Gaster perfectly. 

He had a poker face strong enough to rival the white lab walls and a temper that completely outshines a malfunctioning machine.

 _“One of the most temperamental things to exist!”_ He had scowled at one of the machines after the... _session_ was blessedly cut short that day, _“Changes on a dime. One minute, everything is fine, the next, you’re a pile of Dust on the floor not knowing what killed you.”_

If you had to describe him in only one word, it would be _insane_ . Gaster **is** insane. 

The way he becomes obsessed with something and pursues it with a one track mind. Normal behavior for a mad scientist you suppose, but if he found something new to test on you, he would test it a million different times and expect different results for the same thing he tested not more than four minutes ago _(Over and over andove_ **_rando_ ** **_v ~~eran~~_ ** **_-_ ** _)_.

Insanity, and what’s even scarier is that he has started affecting you too. 

You find yourself falling into the same patterns, actions, speech. 

Feeling like every day is the exact same as the last and thinking that everything is completely normal and sane. That this is just how it’s supposed to be and perhaps, in another universe, you’d find yourself easily accepting such thinking, but _(unfortunately or fortunately, you can't tell)_ due to the few snippets of what you can only call your past life, you find it hard to believe that this cold, pain filled lab is ‘normal’ when you have memories about warmth, love, and worst of all _happiness_ . It’s become a living hell knowing that everyone else is experiencing it but you yourself have been condemned to the life of a _lab rat_. 

That you’ll never get to have the joy of people who truly care for you, see anything beyond white and grey, feel anything other than pain, being on uncomfortable and hard surfaces, cold, callous, unfeeling hands poking and prodding, tearing you apart and putting you back together just for their own amusement and curiosity.

No, and **you hated it all**.

The only time you knew time truly passed at all _(and wasn’t just a figment of your broken mind trying to stay sane)_ was the periodical measuring of your height _(indicating_ **_growth_ ** _)_. 

You don’t feel much taller than when you first woke up here. 

The machines, Gaster and the walls still tower over you, making you feel smaller and more insignificant.

Apparently, Comic Sans is your speech? font _(something only applying to skeleton monsters)_.

“Normally,” Gaster told you one day while he was punching in the data accumulated for the day. “You would be named after the font you speak in, but since you don’t really exist, you don’t get that privilege I’m afraid. It would ruin the good name of any and all self-respecting skeleton!”

At this he paused and showed the closest emotion to sadness you had ever seen on his empty face. _“Even if there aren’t many of us left anymore…”_

Gaster didn’t say anything for a long time afterwards.

Through his half heard ramblings while experimenting on you, you learned that even when speaking using Wing Dings _(his font)_ , you somehow manage to still use, _“That_ **_wretched_ ** _font!”_ Which both intrigued and infuriated Gaster to no end. 

Too many times now have you had to suffer through him ripping your magic and voice apart trying to figure out how you managed to do it to be comfortable speaking, even when allowed to.

One day after one of the training sessions that took place before you were experimented on that day, you noticed that Gaster’s left hand now had a hole in it. Perfectly identical to the hole in his right hand from when you woke up here.

When asked about it during one of his more merciful moods, he gave very vague and unsettling answers “A different experiment that’s not doing as well as you did.” and “Another failed product with nothing in its empty head. At least you are better in that regard, One”

You feel bad for the poor thing, but otherwise aren’t concerned and you never bring it up again.

The voice is a constant thing now. It seems to not have sentience and is instead just a mass of feelings and wants that are easy to control and pin down. Every now and then they’d flare and you’d be thrown into the backseat, letting it take over.

Gaster had to physically restrain you down to the floor on those days, magic doesn’t work against pure **Determination.**

It was nice to let something else have a turn, that didn’t care for consequences and punishments following an outburst. 

As time went on the voice seemed to gain some semblance of intelligence. Like a puppy, following your desires and wants around and instead of just pinning it down and controlling it, you make some sort of deal with it and start to incorporate it into your very SOUL, letting you have the power and the voice have a place to stay and keep you company.

The voice was very young sounding and very... _violent_ . You aren't sure if it _chose_ to sound like a child or not but it was very disconcerting to have what sounds like a small child sit in your SOUL and whisper words of death and destruction or force images of yourself ripping apart Gaster and other monsters into your head. 

Screaming of their sins and that it should all be **_erased_ **.

The thought was looking better and better by the day.

******

One day, after a pretty mild session with Gaster, you were led back to your room _(he wouldn’t carry you anymore, claiming you were ‘old enough’)_ and on your dingy cot was some creature moving around.

You turned to look at Gaster but he just pushed you into the room, “One this is Two. It’s failed in every test I’ve given it so, I’ve decided that for my end goal to be reached with you, you need to learn some responsibility.” Gaster looked towards Two on your cot. “Take care of it. You’ll need the practice for later on.” And with those words the door slid into place and you were left alone with whatever was left of the poor thing.

Doesn’t mean you weren’t ready to Dust whatever it was if Two proved to be hostile towards you in your own territory.

“heya pal,” You wanted to test the waters. “don’t y’know it’s rude to not say hello to your new cotmate?”

The lump stilled its trembling and lifted the shirt from off of its face.

You took in a sharp breath.

 **_A skeleton kid._ ** ****


	5. Two Hearts Beating, One Beats The Other While The Other Just Looks Away...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You make your first promise to Two and visit the outside for the very first time.
> 
>   
> Chapter Title Inspired by:  
> Two Hearts by The Birthday Massacre
> 
> Just an FYI sentences in italics and with {example text} around it is me imputing lore or little tidbits of info to the story for the outsider's {my own} pleasure and world building.

A skeleton kid. It couldn’t be much older than a toddler and _this_ is what Gaster was experimenting on?!? _(you chose not to think of yourself being that young once upon a time)_

_What a sick freak._

“uhhh,” You nervously looked at Two’s tearstained skull. “heya kiddo, umm, sorry ‘bout the uhhh- what are you doing?”

Two stood up from the cot and, while shaking, grasped your leg into a hug.

“uhhh, heh. c’mere Two.” You’ve always had a soft spot for kids _(what?)_ and gingerly picked up Two, not wanting to scare them, but by the time you had a firm grasp on them, Two had already latched onto your neck in a _bone crushing_ grip _(heh)_.

“ok, ok, i gotcha don’t worry ‘bout it ‘kay?” Two buried their head in your neck and you could feel their breath start to slow down as a few tears trailed down your clavicle.

At first you freak out, it’s been a long time since you pretended to breathe _(wastes too much magic and skeletons don’t need to breathe anyways)_ that you forgot that it slows down when _( ~~humans)~~ _ people go to sleep. 

Once you realize that, your SOUL melts into a sappy pile of mush.

“awwww, don’t worry kiddo, i’ll take good care ‘o ya. _i promise._ ” It’s the first promise you’d ever made and you were **_DETERMINED_ ** to keep it.

_{In one of the rooms down one of the many hallways littering the True Lab down here, a shadowy figure is standing in front of a table full of monitors watching One and Two’s interaction._

_“ ~~**Very interesting**. Seems like I made the right choice. ~~ ” It turned to Gaster, slumped over one of the tables in the room fast asleep. “ ~~Don’t you agree?~~ ” A sharp grin devoured the figure's face as it dissolved into a pile of black goop and disappeared.}_

******

Two, you very quickly learned, was **very** cuddly. Anytime you were in the room, they were attached to some part of you, whether it be your leg, your arm, or, more often than not, on top or _inside_ your ribcage.

You didn’t mind the contact and, in fact, enjoyed it. You didn’t realize how touch starved you were until you were constantly attached to someone else.

Two didn’t know how to speak WingDings or really how to do much of anything, so in the time you had just with them you made it your mission to teach them everything you knew. Two picked up sign language fairly quickly but was unable to speak or make noises, you believe they are mute, whether from Gaster's experiments or just naturally, you don't know.

The little skeleton was the only thing in this lab that was smaller than you. It turns out that you are pretty tall, with the comparison of Two, yourself and Gaster as reference, you realize that you are almost as tall as Gaster _(you never noticed it before because the monster's mere presence overshadows your height)_.

One thing you were grateful for was that he never brought Two out for experimenting, but anything you needed for Two you had to ask Gaster for.

He quickly grew annoyed having to leave to get necessities for the little skeleton so, for the first time in your life, you were allowed outside of the lab.

Of course, not completely free though. Your magic was turned off while you were out, to prevent you from believing that you could run away now that you are allowed outside.

To be perfectly honest, you wouldn’t run away even if Gaster would let you, Two would've been left behind and you made a promise to them that you’d take care of them, this meant not abandoning them as well.

Your first trip out consisted of Gaster dragging you around in a large coat with the hood up to cover your skull. “Don’t want anyone to assume you are mine just because we happen to be the same species.” He told you when throwing the article of clothing at you earlier today.

Sweltering heat is what you assume other people would normally feel once you walked out of the automatic doors of the lab _(temperature doesn't affect skeletons and you were right, the elevator did lead to freedom)_. "Hotland" Gaster called it. “Our King, though as great he is, is not good at naming things.” He commented, amused when you looked at him in incredulity at the name.

You looked behind you to the lab where Two was kept and realized how much it stuck out like a sore thumb. Pure white walls on the outside that did not mesh well with the orange and reds of Hotland.

Gaster yanked the hood back over your head from where it had fallen as you turned around and lightly smacked you. “One!” He barked. “You are to keep the hood on at ALL times. If it falls off again I will make sure Two will receive your punishment.” 

You froze and shakily gripped the edges of the hood tighter around your head, not willing to risk Two taking your place for punishment.

“Good, now, let’s go, One.”

******

The first room you walked through after exiting Hotland was one with a massive neon sign that scrolled with ‘WELCOME TO HOTLAND.’

You just took in the sights, you had never seen such vivid colors before and to see so many blues, reds, greens and everything in between slightly overwhelmed you.

You were like a child again, thinking that the world was such a beautiful place full of colors and magic _(funny that it is but you aren’t allowed it)_.

Gaster wasn’t paying you any attention, talking on what you learned was a phone, so while he was doing that, you went over to the walls and ran your hand along the rough texture.

‘ **Stone.** ’ Determination _(_ _what you had taken to calling the voice)_ had merged with your past life apparently and was often giving you the same advice with some violent snippets in between. Not that you’re complaining, it’s much easier to talk to Determination than to get any answers out of your past self.

A purple hand snatched you up and you realized that you had been lagging behind.

“One, hurry up. I don’t want to be out here all day. I have work to finish at the labs and the sooner I get this done, the sooner you can go on your own and I don’t have to baby you all the way to Snowdin Shop.”

You brightened up considerably at the prospect of you leaving on your own to get supplies, even though you’re sure that it will come with some definite limitations.

The pros far outweigh the cons.

You thought that Hotland and whatever place that Gaster was taking you to sounded very loud to your SOUL. Gaster said that you were very sensitive to SOUL songs back in the labs during one of the early experiments, but you didn't take it to heart and thought it wouldn't really matter. Now that you are out and about, however, you realize that it matters **a lot**.

The farther in we got to... "Waterfall." Gaster commented, as if reading your mind _(knowing him he probably could)_. _Waterfall_ , the louder the songs got. It was like a giant garbled mess of noise that drowned everything else out.

Gaster glanced at you noticing that you seemed to have some sort of trouble with something. He paused and thought for a bit before coming to a conclusion.

"One." You looked up at him, eye lights barely visible in your distress, hardly able to look straight. "Try to pull on your magic, focus on the feeling of it. That vibration is your own SOUL song. Focus it and use it to create a barrier between yourself and the other songs."

You did as he said and realized that it was easier than you thought, like it was only waiting on your command to block the others. A faint glow appeared in the center of your chest and covered your bones faintly.

Gaster gave a small grin at your amazement but quickly realized and shook himself becoming harsher, "Pathetic, you couldn't even handle a bit of noise." He turned away not seeing your hurt and angry look aimed squarely on his back. "Come, we are just about to reach the Wishing Room."

******

The Wishing Room is the most beautiful place you have ever seen.

It’s filled with strange sparkles that fall from the ceiling covered in glittering stones, giving it a very mythical vibe. Strange blue flowers covered the floor of the room and when you brushed past them voices spoke from them.

You thought it was all in your head until Gaster told you that the flowers were called Echo Flowers and that they repeat whatever they heard around them.

Fascinated, you touched one and it repeated what Gaster had said. You quickly plucked one _(one voice said "My only wish is to be with you.")_ to bring back to Two and followed after Gaster as you both _(regretfully)_ moved on. _(you could sit here for days...)_

The next area to go through was a maze of glowing… grass? that lit up when you touched some lanterns sitting next to the path, then mushrooms later on in the room. You don’t understand why they didn’t just put lanterns for both but you decide to just enjoy it while being here.

After the maze room, Gaster took a left, down a path in front of what appears to be a cave opening. You decide to not peek inside in case it’s a monster’s home and you don’t want to be rude.

Speaking of, you haven’t seen any monsters around at all. Are they avoiding you guys? You wouldn’t be surprised.

At the end of the hallway, there’s a boat with someone in a cloak on it.

“Tra la la~ Where would you like to go today Dr. Gaster?” The _(man? woman? person?)_ asked.

“Snowdin, if you will, River Person.” Gaster climbed onto the boat, motioning impatiently for you to join him.

“Hold on.” The River Person warned and the boat rose on top of the water and began _running on top of it._

“Tra la la~ The care of rivers is not a question of rivers but of the SOUL…..”

You were confused and felt that it had a deeper meaning as The River Person seemed to look through you.

“Thank you, River Person.” Gaster huffed as he got out of the boat and began walking away without you.

The River Person lightly grabbed your arm as soon as you stepped off of their boat and whispered to you, “....only those of us who carry our cause in our SOULs are willing to run the risks. Tra la la~”

Gaster shouted, calling for you further up the road and the River Person nodded, rubbed your head and floated away as you scurried to catch up to Gaster, rubbing your head where River Person had pet you.

“River Person always speaks such drivel when anyone rides, but they give such needed transportation, it's a shame really. I would prefer to pay G rather than sit and listen to them." Gaster shook his head before walking faster.

"Come now, no dawdling when we are this close to Snowdin Shops! When you use this route later, you just have to put your hand in the water to call River Person. They always know if there is a passenger waiting. There _is_ a stop in Hotland, but I have yet to fix the stairs there after someone suplexed a boulder and crushed them.” 

Gaster looked frustrated and put out at whoever did it and you fervently hope they are never caught. If it causes any inconvenience to Gaster then it’s perfectly alright in your book.

As you both tread through the snowy wonderland, you can hear people speaking up ahead. “Snowdin tends to stay up through the night compared to the rest of the Underground. It's all due to their perpetual snow, they can’t tell the time and by the time anyone realized it, it was already too late to do anything about it, so Snowdin is almost always open and at least half the residents are awake at all times.”

It explains why we never saw any monsters on our way to Snowdin.

You want to lie down in the snow and romp around but Gaster wouldn’t let you. Every time you strayed more than a few feet away from him, he would use his magic hands to bring you back.

After four more times of this he finally snapped, “For Stars sake, One! We are no more than a few minutes away from the Shop! Stop dragging your feet and forcing me to bring you along. I’m becoming very displeased with you. If you can’t be trusted to stay by my side for just a few minutes then how can I let you travel by yourself?! I may just have to have it delivered….”

You frantically shook your head and was on the verge of tears trying to convince Gaster that you’d be good and he can trust you, that you’ll stay close to him and not wander off at all.

Gaster swayed back and forth before deciding that it would be too much of a hassle to order the things that Two needs, for then he would have to explain why he was buying children’s stuff to the nosy monsters running the shop. “I’m already running a big risk just bringing you here, One. Appreciate that I’m even doing this at all instead of just fixing Two’s problem myself.”

Code for fucking with Two’s SOUL and turning them into something like yourself.

**_Absolutely NOT._ **

You sign that you are very grateful that he’s doing this and that you’ll make sure to be on your best behavior as you both get closer to the town.

The closer you got the brighter things seemed.

_{The town looked to be brightly lit up with colors of all different shades. It's beauty couldn't be compared to the Wishing Room, however._

_It was like comparing a waterfall to a forest. They are both beautiful but where the Wishing Room has a quiet, awe inspiring, nostalgic beauty, Snowdin emanates a **warmth** and **comfort** that a hug from a loved one or hanging out with people you care about brings. _

_Truly incomparable..., but I digress. This **is** _ your _story after all.}_

You followed Gaster into a cozy looking shop and when he opened the door, a little chime sounded from the bell hanging from the doorway. A small bunny monster came out from a door behind a row of items. _(strange to be so tall...)_

"Why, hello there Doc!" Her left ear twitched and her smile grew. "We hardly ever see you 'round here ever since you became the Royal Scientist and all! What can I do for you and this little fella?" Her kind warm gaze landed on your hood covered form and, when you moved to hide behind Gaster, she gave Gaster an amused smile.

"Come out, One. Say hello, don't be rude, then tell Mrs. Shopkeeper what you need for yourself and Two and then I'll bring you back home." Gaster dragged you out from behind himself with the hands and you blushed copper when you looked at the beautiful purple shopkeeper, embarrassed to be held up in the air, although she didn't seem to mind and smiled warmly as you were put down in front of her.

"hullo, Mrs. Shopkeeper. i'm, uhhh, looking for c-clothes for a kiddo like, uhh, this tall?" You measured from the floor up to your hand, roughly how tall Two was. "and some kid food as well as... uhh, clothes... for myself?" You nervously glanced at Gaster, worried he'd be mad at you asking for clothes for yourself.

He glanced down at you and nodded his concession, before looking at the shopkeeper who was trying to hold back from leaping over the counter and smothering you in hugs and squealing at how cute you are. _{_ _Gaster knew her to well to not guess at what she wanted to do, he'd been going here for years.}_

She smiled brightly, "Of course hon! I'll get it for you free of charge, just this once, I'm still running a business and it doesn't run on givin' away everything in the shop!" She gave out a laugh like the chime hanging from the entrance of her shop, and when you went to refuse, she cut you off before you could even get one word out.

"But one or two items aren't going to hurt my business, sug. You just sit tight and let ol' 'Keeper here do her thing!" Then she scampered off into the back of her shop to presumably search for the items you asked for.

You looked around the quaint shop while you were waiting for the shopkeeper to return.

A nice, soft yellow tint that exudes warmth and welcome covers the entire shop with its glow, leaving deep shadows in places that the lamp just doesn't quite reach.

You slowly relaxed into the atmosphere while Gaster steps outside to "Take care of some business in town while we wait here."

You were okay with anything that made Gaster leave your side. You lean against the warm wooden counter and close your eyes, just existing.

Suddenly, a warm fuzzy hand lies on your shoulder making you freeze in place. "Hey love, I got the things you asked for. Where did the Doc go?"

You relaxed and took the things from her paws. "He said he had some business in town, so I'm supposed to wait here until he comes back."

She smiles _(i've never seen someone smile so much before)_ "You can stay here as long as you need to. Do you want anything to eat or drink?" 

A small genuine smile rose on your face, "I'd like something to bring back to my... brother, Two if you don't mind..."

The shopkeeper lit up, happy to help in any way possible, "Of course! I'll give you my sister's famous cinnabunnies to take back to your little brother, Two was it?"

You nod as she takes a paper bag and puts three cinnabunnies and winks at you, "A few extra for the road!" Gaster walks in shortly after she gives you the cinnabunnies and you say goodbye as you leave the shop.

One the way back to the lab, you meet the River Person again and this time they merely nod as you leave. You nod back and when you make it back to the lab you give the cinnabunnies to Two and dress him in a small striped yellow and orange shirt with small shorts and a orange beanie, with a coat in the color green. You get dressed in a black t-shirt, blue shorts and a pink hoodie that zips up.

It's the most comfortable thing you've ever had, and you refuse to take it off _(unless Gaster orders you to take it off)_ but until then you'll enjoy it while it lasts.

That day, you curled around Two as he slept on your chest and closed your eyes, relaxing and listening to his, _your brother's,_ nice even breathing. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hella long chapter today (First curse word in here lol wasn't sure if I really wanted cursing. Seems outta place y'know?). Might have a chapter of just concept art for these characters and/or like background art. I've been itching to draw them for a bit now and if I get around to it I'll be sure to make a chapter just for them so that it doesn't mess up those reading on your phones. (like when you scroll it goes to the right and down instead of just straight down) also have to figure out how to link pics and have them show on ao3.... *shrugs* Eh we'll see I guess...
> 
> ***DISCLAIMER: Two Quotes were used in here that I changed for my own purposes***  
> 1\. "The care of rivers is not a question of rivers but of the human heart." -Shōzō Tanaka (check him out he participated in the Freedom and Popular Rights (democracy) movement at the end of the Tokugawa era (1880s). Considered to be Japan's first conservationist.)
> 
> 2\. "...only those of us who carry our cause in our hearts are willing to run the risks." -Rigoberta Menchú (check her out she fought for the rights of Guatemala's Indigenous people during and after the Guatemalan Civil War. Receiver of a Nobel Peace Prize and is promoting Indigenous Rights internationally.)


	6. just forget it

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nobody:  
> Literally no one at all:  
> In One's Brain:  
> What's going on in here??
> 
> Beckfast!

Is this some twisted game for you?

…

_did you abandon us?_

_..._

Do you find enjoyment reading the sufferings of others?

…

_how could you?_

~~...I’m so sorry little one….~~

Don’t you know that their lives are just as important?

...

_that my life is just as important? is all i am just a... a game to you?_

WE NEVER DESERVED IT. IT’S ALL _THEIR_ FAULT. THEY DID THIS TO US.

_i know but how can i change it? h-how can i stop them?_

_… I believe that I know just a way to end this. To end this insufferable loop. I’m so sorry Sans, Papyrus. I never wanted to hurt you. I couldn’t be free from the script, so I’ll make sure you both are freed._

GASTER? WH-WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!?!?

_h-hey old man, we may not have gotten off on the right foot but that doesn’t mean-_

BANG

…

…

~~……….. I’m so _so_ _sorry_ ………~~

  
  


One woke up in a flurry of tears and fear with a deep indescribable ache deep in the recesses of his- your Soul. Jonathan breathed in quietly, little sighs escaping on his exhale and as you watch you relax ever so slowly. 

You blink and look up at the dark ceiling of the dumpster in a little alleyway you had managed to stuff yourself and your little brother into. The sound of nearby traffic drones on around your little cocoon of safety and just as you were about to slip back into the comforting arms of sleep a man ~~**_Father_ **~~ harshly ripped open the lid and-

“One!” a harsh voice snaps and One claps back to himself. Disorientated and more than a little confused he fell off of the hard medical table and onto the cold-wooden floor of your room at home. Your stuffed animals lined the shelves of your room and the delicious smell of bread and cookies wafted up the stairs to your bedroom.

Mom was baking something again. She only ever baked when something was wrong and when you slipped quietly down the stairs to the kitchen you see-Daddy throwing you up in the air again.

A huge smile split his face in exhausted delight. “ONE more okay then we’ll go home to see what Mommy’s made for lunch okay, Mon?” 

You nod eagerly and when he throws you up in the air you swear you are really flying this time but, as always you start to fall back down and when you get a little bit too close to the ground-a harsh slap rang through the air and when he finally came back to his senses-Jonathan was lying on the ground crying his little heart out. 

“GET THE FUCK AWAY FROM HIM YOU ABSOLUTE-monsters are a combination of Love, Hope and Compassion.” Gaster lectured once again, practicing for his presentations of the Hope Bracer that One has absolutely no interest in. 

One turned away from Gaster and he knelt to the ground and picked up the ratty scarf left carelessly in the snow. “p-paps?” Sans called out desperately, knowing exactly what has happened _~~AGAIN~~ _ but not wanting to believe it. He began running towards Waterfall, trying to convince himself that Papyrus just got too into the battle and dropped his scarf on the snow pretending to FIGHT the kid. _Like normal, like pacifist, like_ **_Frisk_ ** _._

Collapsing in the snow at the transition from Snowdin Town Outskirts to Waterfall’s Entrance he cried out in rage and sorrow as-big strong arms lifted him clear of the blood and Dust littering the ground. 

“Fear Not Brother! I Have You Safe And Sound!” One turns around and-a little peony sits in the driveway a little flattened in the rain and from being run over by the policeman’s car again. You pick at the newer scabs on your knees and hands, not watching the red blood pool around the peony’s crack in the pavement, definitely not seeing the neighbors once again turn away and close the blinds as screaming started up _again_ in your house. 

Jonathan came out to join you on the sidewalk, his bright-eyelights looking up at you in joyous adoration. They wonder how long until ~~_Jonathan_ ~~Two stops looking at them that way. Until Jonathan ~~_Two_~~ realizes that they’re just as much of a **monster** as anyone else…

A cry quickly made you bolt out of bed - One woke up for what felt like the third time today and rolled out of the bed he shared with Two. Grabbing his pink hoodie, you paused ~~who~~ am ~~I?~~

Hyper fixating on a single snowflake floating down in front of you, the small icy stems branching out from the intricate latticework in the center of the snowflake glinting in the fire branching out from your childhood home ~~_his lifeless body crumpled in a pile of Dust and a red scarf pinned down._~~ You breathed in.... slowly and.... out. It’s fine. You’re fine. 

_Another episode_ , you shake your skull. They’re getting more frequent, Gaster believes it’s caused by the excess magic around the Underground. Magic you were sheltered to during your time trapped in the Lab. Two, however, doesn't seem to have this same problem and you worry that Gaster has done something to him when you’re gone. He’s quiet. 

Well, he’s always quiet but normally he _moves_ small knee bounces, wringing his hands, scuffing his feet on the tiles, _something_. Now he’s just eerily silent, other than when you address him or when Gaster opens the door. You growl under your breath and hug Two closer. He blinks up with his innocent bright ~~_baby blue_~~ eye sockets ~~_no eyelights why no eyelights? did Gaster dosomethingwhathappendedtoTwowhy_~~ and shouts, “OHN.” 

You blink in shock, “ohn?” Two points firmly to your chest “OHN!” He says sharper and somehow even louder. Not knowing what else to do and honestly not quite caring if he calls you ‘Ohn’, you nod and fake a smile. Seeing your compliance Two backs off and looks at you as if waiting for something. Your smile becomes strained and you sit for apparently too long in confused silence because Two becomes visibly upset and violently points to himself repeatedly.

You tilt your head before it clicks. Name, he wants a name from you. Was he deaf? Is that why he didn’t speak before? You never considered that he might not be mute but deaf. You shake your head, those thoughts can be dealt with later when you can mentally handle it. Right now, though, you have to give Two a suitable name. You place your head on your hand and huff looking Two up and down for something, _anything,_ that sticks out to you that would be a suitable name and when your eyes keep getting stuck on the stupid white puff ball on the top of Two’s beanie you sigh and point to him.

“puffball.” Hey, who said you were any better at naming things? Two tilts his head and watches your mouth closely. You snort and actually open your mouth to form the word, “puffball. it’s your name.” After repeating the word quite a few times Two confidently puffs _( heh)_ out his chest and barks, “POFF!” You snort and start giggling before it breaks out into all out laughter that has your bones rattling and tears running down your face. Two grins wildly, his nose bridge wrinkling up in glee and starts chanting POFF and OHN all around your shared room before pouncing onto your chest and snuggling close to you and giving a final “OHN.” before falling asleep.

******

Not much happens in Snowdin. Monsters come, they see, they leave. The same monsters that were here when you first took step outside of the Hotland Labs were just about the same as now the 822nd time outside. Poff noisily tramped next you as you held his hand on the way to Snowdin. This was one of the times Gaster had allowed him to accompany you to the Snowdin Shops. Poff looked up at you and his surroundings with glee and excitement that hadn’t diminished at all since the first time you brought him.

He crunched around in the freshly fallen snow when you two finally reached Snowdin Town’s Outskirts and, when he grew tired of it, ran and jumped to try and catch the snowflakes drifting around you two. You chuckled, a fondness that had long since grown into a raging love for your little brother lighting up the withered Soul in your ribs with Contentment and Love.

You hadn’t had the bravery to bring it up to Gaster that Poff might not be mute but deaf instead, fearing that he might take Poff and experiment on him too once he fixed Poff’s hearing. So you instead went to Snowdin Shop to buy books on building and wiring electronics, scouring every shelf of it’s pitifully small book collection and in between that you ran trips to the Libraby scouring their shelves too. Gaster _had_ to have learned it from somewhere here if he lived here, right?

The Snowdin Shopkeeper was just as nice to you as she was the first time Gaster brought you here. Gifting Poff with a cinnibunny every time you visit. Snowdin Shop has quickly become the only place you feel safe enough to close your eye sockets for just a wink of sleep while Poff plays and learns with the other children of Snowdin. Ms. Keeper doesn’t say a word when you trudge into her shop looking like you crawled out of a dumpster somewhere and collapse on the ugly green couch she’s long taken out of circulation for a few hours or even days at a time with or without Poff. You slowly chuckle. Poff had become Two’s official name outside of the Lab, it’s what everyone calls him and Ohn had quickly become your new moniker as well.

To be quite honest you embrace the name, the only sense of normality in your fucked up life and you crave it. It’s why you sneakily saved up the G Gaster gave you for supply runs to buy a cheap low quality camera and fix it up to take pictures of Poff, the Snowdin residents, the Pines surrounding the town and pretty much anything and everything. You take all the pictures and stuff them between and under the couch cushions and when you run out of film, well, if Ms. Shopkeeper looks the other way when she silently passes more to you for free and when you stuff your pictures away, well, your mouth is sealed tight when she willingly gives away cinnabunnies to any wayward child that enters her shop or new pants or shirts to those down on hard times.

Ms. Keeper looks like she has had something on her mind for the past week now. You aren't sure what but aren't willing to ask her what she wants. You don't want to lose what you have here and a voice that sounds an awful lot like Gaster tells you to keep your grubby nose to yourself. Well Gaster's never been wrong before and you shrug and mind your own damn business. Up until you feel the soft light being block and an undeniably warm body standing behind your form curled up on the couch.

"what's up Keeps?" You try to keep the exhaustion from leaking out of your voice and when Ms. Keeper’s eyes don’t flood with concern, you take it as a win.

“Well, I’ve been seeing how awful hard you’ve been searching the shelves over there and I know how…. Well how hard up for G you are.” You wince at that statement. Any and all G comes from Gaster and the amount he gives you often isn't enough so you’ve had to look for less…. legal means to get money. Under the table jobs hush hush like. It’s against the law for any minor to be hired so any jobs you work is off the books and you've gotten fucked out of money more times than you’d be willing to tell.

“i’m alright K, just in a tight spot right now, but i’m workin’ it out. no need to worry.” You give what you know is a convincing grin and hope that she drops the topic. No need for her to snoop into your life now and fuck it all up for the both of you and bring it up to Gaster.

“I was just gonna offer you a job if you’d be so kind as to take it, Sans.” You stop, floored.

“w-what?” You gasp out going completely still, making sure absolutely nothing is shown in your body language or face.

“I am offering you a job if you want it?” Ms. Keeper hesitantly spoke, unsure what caused you to become so spooked.

“n-no the _other_ thing.”

“Oh! Sans? Well it’s quite easy to get information on skeletons at the library you know, and I read a paragraph that said that the names of skeletons often come from their fonts right? Well, when I then went through the font list given, yours and Papyrus’ came up!” Ms. Keeper smiled wide, quite pleased with herself while you were having a mental breakdown before it all came screeching to a halt. Papyrus. _Papyrus. Sans and Papyrus._ Your very own names, that aren’t, well to be frank, dumb like Poff or One _and_ given outside of Gaster and yourself. Gaster can’t get mad if someone else said it first, right? _You refuse to call Ohn dumb, it was personally given to you by Papyrus, and oh_ **_boy_ ** _does that lift something in your Soul._

“ah.” Great. Brilliant even. Could be the Nobel Prize winner of best responses. You want to smack yourself. For all your intelligence you say the dumbest shit.

Ms. Keeper’s dark eyes light up with mirth as she teased you, “Thought I’d never figure out what your true names are, huh sug? Well I may not be as smart as the Doc in Hotland but I _do_ have a good head on my shoulders! Nothing stays a secret for long with ears this long! What with your whole One and Two and Poff and Ohn nicknames, they had me for the ringer on what you boys actual names were y’know.” She chuckled to herself as you rationalized using those names in public and how in the world you were going to teach Po- _Papyrus_ his own name, which brought you back to what she originally said.

“you gotta job fer me?” You coughed and gave a sheepish smile realizing you abruptly changed the topic. “i mean, y-yeah, heh, didn’t think i could keep it from ya fer too long. jus wanted to see how long i could keep it goin y’know?”

Ms. Keeper smiled knowingly, “And to answer your question, yes I do have a job for you if you want it.” You perked up instantly.

“lay it on me Keeps.” You cheekily grinned relaxing back into the arm of the couch.

“Well it’s been getting harder for me to leave the shop to go to the Dump and dig stuff up to sell so I was wondering if you’d be willing to go find stuff for some extra G or even some items here in the shop. Depending on what you bring back is what you get paid for and any and all items you find that you want to keep are all yours for the taking.”

You quickly ran your mind over the offer but even to yourself you knew you were going to accept regardless.

“sure thing, when do i start Keeps?”


End file.
